01.24.2007

01.24.2007

Meiji Seika is to Japan what Cadbury is to countries like the UK and Australia (though some will argue Meiji makes better chocolate). Which is probably why Hanayama Toys decided to choose Meiji chocolate bars when they designed their chocolate polyomino puzzles. The puzzles look just like large bars of Meiji milk or dark chocolate, down to the packaging, and are perfect as calorie-free gifts for chocolate lovers. The challenge of the puzzle is to put pieces together to form different shapes, after which you'll have to fit everything back into the rectangular box. That is, if you don't decide to give up and wander off in search of some real chocolate.

The milk chocolate version has 12 pieces, each a pentomino (5 "chocolate" squares), while the dark chocolate version has 11 pieces, each a hexomino (6 squares). They aren't available for retail online, it seems, but you may be able to find it at your nearest Japanese bookshop - I found mine at Kinokuniya.

01.24.2007

I have a soft spot for kitchen gadgets, so needless to say, I am thrilled with technology that will make life less messy on my busy weekday mornings. And it's always the simple yet elegant technology that impresses. Like the One Click Butter Cutter. Technology that is so simple that I can get the drift just by looking at the name. And superbly elegant too - the butter cutter holds a stick of butter or margarine and all you have to do to get exactly one lovely "pat" of butter is click the cutter as if you are about to staple a plastic bag. Out comes a neatly sliced portion of butter that you could readily spread on your toast. 5 such "pats" of butter are equivalent to 1 tablespoon - so you could also portion the amount of butter with ease.

Simply adorable. If you don't have it yet, you should definitely get one. Priced at $19.99.

01.24.2007

Used to be when you ordered a frig, you had a choice of white, avocado and butterscotch. Now we get white, black and stainless steel. Lots of stainless steel. (Read Johnny's rant.) But as you've read here, designers have gotten creative with retro versions, entire kitchens designed around a handsome Elmira frig, and beautiful art transfers for the key gadget in your kitchen.

No one is having more fun than the Italian designers at Smeg, whose multiple lines of free-standing refrigerators come in colors like lime green, stripes and my personal favorite, the Union Jack.

Necessity is the mother of invention, and in the UK where kitchen space is at a premium, not to mention your typical N.Y. apartment, NorCool has come up with a solution that ramps up storage space and -- wait for this -- by fitting it in the corner!. The site claims that your corner fridge is equivalent to 4 large refrigerators, while only taking up 1 sq.m. of floor area. I say we give them some sort of award.

01.24.2007

We're looking for a few gadget-obsessed writers with a familiarity with the rules of blogging to join the Popcrew. While prior professional experience is not strictly required, strong technical writing skills are a must, as well as: an avid interest in keeping current on tech news and pop culture, an original voice, and the ability to consistently write a minimum of 5 posts per week beginning in the 3rd week of February. Our payment rates are competitive with other high-profile commercial blogs. Potential opportunity for working on future launches.

To apply, please send an email to hoyun@popgadget.net with the following:

1. Name and location (city and country), and telephone number,
2. Languages spoken/written,
3. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART: Three to four sample posts (images not necessary) (these should be examples of what your actual posts will look like on Popgadget, so articles from another publication may not be helpful),
4. Current profession/job,
5. Your areas of knowledge in relation to technology and pop culture,
6. Some background information (formal resume not necessary),
7. Days and times you can be regularly available;
8. Any other information you think would be helpful (such as other applicable experience in Internet technology, advertising, marketing, or business).

Hello! It's been a while, and I'm so happy to say, we are going to be back and better than ever. We will be changing just a little bit- bringing you more frequently updated content, in a somewhat abbreviated...Read More